A Texas police officer came to realize this after he answered a dispatch call about a vicious dog on the loose.

Earlier this week, Officer Travis Frost spotted the big gold dog on the front porch of someone’s house. Frost left the door of his cruiser open – just in case he was attacked and needed to jump to safety – and cautiously approached the dog.

According to a Facebook post that was published by the Texarkana Texas Police Department, “this didn’t go quite like we thought it would.”

“He whistled at the dog, who then came trotting over to him with his tail wagging,” says the department post. “After Travis pet the dog for a minute, [the canine] went right up to the patrol unit, jumped in the front seat, and just made himself at home.”

In the time it took for an animal control officer to arrive, Frost and the dog became best buddies. They hung out in the squad car, snapped some selfies, and got some well-deserved belly rubs before the pup was taken to the shelter.

The dog’s microchip later identified him as an American Bully named Gold. Thanks to the microchip, the owners were able to pick him up from the facility shortly after his rescue.

The police department seized this opportunity to remind pet owners to microchip their animals – and to not judge a book by its cover. Officers believe that they received the call about a vicious dog because pit bulls and similarly bulky canines are often negatively stereotyped. Frost and the police department, however, think otherwise.

“If you are judging the dog based on the breed then you are probably doing yourself a disservice,” police spokesman Shawn Vaughn told TODAY, adding that the only time he was ever bitten on the job was by a little Chihuahua.

The police department finished the Facebook post by saying: “[These dogs] have a bit of a bad reputation. Travis said that, while you should always be careful around any dog that you don’t know, you shouldn’t automatically assume that all pit bulls are bad dogs. They might be really loving – like this guy was this morning.”